AoT Remastered
by Ackermann
Summary: Takes place on a similar timeline to that of the Manga/Anime, except with slight deviations. ErenxMikasa. Main focus is on the plot as a whole, but not as a pure romance. After taking college courses, it will be much more well rounded. Eren will be a slightly different character, being able to rely on his own abilities as a human as well as his titan form. A few twists.
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: Please read this ENTIRE italicized section._

 _This is likely to be the ONLY time I break immersion, and include an author's note etc. Contact me personally or in reviews._

 _Do NOT READ if you are not okay with the following:_

 _Minor/Major plot changes. (surviving/dying characters)_

 _Eren being more individually capable of his own abilities._

 _Romance_

 _Levi being a little more open to others, but still the same coldness._

 _Incest? MikasaxEren (I don't consider it incest, but w/e)_

 _A real Fanfiction, not just lemon and love scenes. This will be a story. Combat, everything._

 _Cliffhangers :3_

 _3\. The story takes place with the same arcs as the manga/anime, except takes different plot twists and turns, but has the same end goal._

The sun, the witness to all of Earth's cruelty shone upon the figures shifting through the trees. Their wires and cords danced like shadows, as they stalked their prey. Survey Corps littered the forestry, slaying titans in great number. The 57th Expedition beyond the wall was in full swing, and the female titan was running rampant. She was pursuing Eren and his protectors.

Eren's teeth clenched, slicing his gums from the ground pounding behind him. The female titan was only 50 feet behind him, chasing him at full speed.

"Almost…"

His grapple connected to another tree, surging him forward.

"Almost… not yet!"

Eren unsheathed his blades, and propelled his gas canister on his 3DMG, and prepared to strike.  
Armin, lagging behind, looked in horror as the female titan made her move.

"Look out! She's going for your wires!" He screamed.

Time froze, Armin let out a silent scream, and Eren smiled.

\- 4 Years Ago

"I heard you and Mikasa were fighting earlier, everything okay?" The bright blond boy asked, poking Eren with his foot.

Eren was lying on his back, staring into the sky of Shiganshina. He and Armin Arlert had always been friends, and often spent their time together. He was helpless at times, but Eren had found a brotherly love between them, deeply caring for his safety.

"Yeah, she was trying to boss me around again. She can be such a brat sometimes, you know?"

"Mikasa is usually right though, you should listen to her more often." Armin responded, while picking a flower on the ground to pieces.

"... You too, huh?" Eren closed his eyes, and let out a deep sigh.

"You may be right, Eren. But that still doesn't mean she doesn't care about you."

Their conversation ended immediately, and Eren shot up from the grass, excited as ever. The gates to Wall Maria were opening, and his heroes were returning home. The Survey Corps.

The boys bolted towards the commotion, spectating the green clad protectors marching in the streets. Despite Eren's ecstatic nature, the Corps' heads were solemn, and offered a defeated posture. Eren's ignorance as a youth shielded him from the truths of their defeat.

"Look at them! Armin!"

"Yeah yeah, I see them." Armin rolled his eyes as Eren continued to shake his arm.

A brunette amongst the corps met the youthful Eren's eye, and gave him a friendly wink and smile. She seemed to be the only person in the regiment who was chipper.

Little did the young Eren know, that his smile and awe of the Survey Corps was the only reason Hange was smiling.

"I'm going to join them one day, Armin. We don't have to be trapped in these damn walls like pets." Eren affirmed. "If I did, would you join too?"

Armin gulped. He always wanted to support his friend, but something about the expressions on the heroes' faces made his blood run cold. While frozen, Armin found the green gaze on Eren's face, and gulped once more.

"I-I'd be scared, but yes. I don't know what I can offer, but anything to help humanity."

Eren smiled, and quickly made a horrified expression.

"I'm going to be late for dinner, I've got to get back!" He scooped up his pack and began to run.

"W-Wait, Eren! What's the big rush!" Armin followed.

"Imagine the look *huff* the look on her face if I get yelled at *huff* get yelled at by mom. She'll think she won or something!" Eren kept running, at a reckless pace.

"Who, Mikasa?" Armin wheezed, falling behind.

"Of course, who else!"

The sun was setting, and Eren gave Armin a quick farewell. They had taken a detour, but it should be fine. Dusk was approaching, as the sun hid under Wall Maria's tall walls. Eren kept huffing and puffing, trying to beat the clock.

Upon roughly reaching the halfway point, he remembered that Armin may have gotten lost due to the path he took him on. He growled, and followed his instincts on going back.

"Damn, I'm going to be late for sure." Eren rolled his eyes, and started drafting the various responses he would need to deal with Mikasa's sass, as well as his mother's for being out so late. Would he use an excuse? Would he tell the truth? What did it matter, he would get yelled at anyway-

He slipped, and crashed onto the ground, carelessly. His knees were scraped, and burned. It was nothing serious, but enough to make a twelve year old's eyes water.

"Hey there buddy, you okay?" A hooded figure asked. A second behind him.

"I'm fine." He sniffled. Eren glanced up at them, unable to see their faces.

One unhooded himself, along with the other, and extended a hand.

"I've got you buddy, the name's Reiner, Reiner Braun. This is Bertolt Hoover."

Bertolt offered a small wave, and a smile. Both of them were equipped with a lot of gear, most likely water, food, and other supplies.

His knee burned, but Eren recovered. "Thanks." He winced. "Are you guys going hiking or something?"

"Heh, not quite. We're going to meet one of our friends, Annie." Bertolt nodded.

"Ohhhh, I see. Is she your girlfriend then?" Eren rubbed his knee.

"Not quite." Reiner added, rubbing the back of his neck in an armored stance.

"He wishes, I bet." Bertolt added with a colossal chuckle.

"Can it! Anyway, I hope you're feeling better, We've got to get knowing. What was your name bud?"

"Eren Jäger." He smiled, shaking their hands.

"Until next time, Eren. Ciao."

"See you guys." And with that, the two departed.

After checking that Armin was safe, Eren made his way home, finally. The day caught up to him, as he felt his pace slow down substantially. All he could think about was his bed, and maybe a hot meal. With roasted beef and curry on his mind, he slipped into his home.

"Mr. Jäger, where have you been?" His mother rushed at him, and immediately gave him "the look".

Annoyed at how she always called him mister, he rolled his eyes for the upteenth time that day.

"I was walking Armin home, it got dark." He sat down at his place at the table, seeing his cold meal. He didn't mind one bit though, food was food.

"You made Mikasa worry, you know." His mother went back to her duties, continuing to lecture Eren.

"What's new?" He chomped down hard on the meat, his mouth savoring every bite.

"She made dinner tonight, the very dinner you're eating."

"It's cold." He retorted.

His mother, Carla, sighed and sat down across from him. Rather than continue her lecture, she tried a different approach.

"I heard the Scout Regiment got back today, how were they?"

"Armin and I saw them come through the gates, they looked as proud as ever, and I'm sure they fought as hard as they could. One of them was so confident, she looked right at me!" He continued to blabber on, his eyes sparkling in excitement as she just nodded and nodded, thinking about other things.

"... And hundreds of people were there to greet them, and I really thought-" His rant was finally ended as his adopted sister entered the room.

"You shouldn't get your hopes up, Eren." Mikasa sat down adjacent to him.

"I have to! Armin and I already sore to it!" Eren kept his confident gaze, eating away at the food in front of him. Mikasa found joy in how fast he was scarfing down the meal she had prepared, but discomfort to the whole Survey Corps ideal.

"Ugh, Armin too? Don't worry. I'll talk to him." She shook her head in disbelief.

"Hey! It's our decision, not yours-!"

"Alright, Eren. That's enough. Finish your meal and head to bed. Are you all done with your chores, Mika?"

"Yes Ma'am."

"Good girl, I want both of you to get some sleep and be ready for tomorrow, we've got a big day ahead of us, especially with community service!

Eren groaned, but complied.

Mikasa hid her smile as she continued to watch Eren eat, and the Jäger household would soon go to sleep.

Outside wall Maria, titans mustered. The invasion would soon begin.


	2. Chapter 2

The walls cradling humanity stood firm. Sina, Rose, and Maria were the protectors, spaced miles apart with grooves between them. Within each wall had its own populace, trade, production, and other services that spawn in modernization. The domestication of these caged humans would soon come to a close.

"Oi, Eren! Make sure not to drop that cargo, yeah?" A Garrison Corps officer nagged, whilst enjoying a cool beverage.

"You could be helping you know-" Eren's eyes challenged the dark hazel of the blond man, Hannes.

Mikasa tugged Eren's sleeve. "Forget it Eren, keep moving." She gave him a slight nudge, and he continued onward.

"Man, why do we have to do this, Mikasa? This is do dumb, and boring. Y'know?"

"It's called community service for a reason, can't you just do what you're told for once? It'd do you some good." She chirped.

"Yeah right…" His mind trailed off. He could do the work, but that didn't mean he'd have to enjoy it.

"Maybe we can go find Armin afterward?" She poked him again.

"That's the best idea you've had in weeks. That's more like it." Eren fumbled the containers, nearly dropping them.

"You're going to make Hannes mad, be careful." She corrected him once more, pinching a nerve.

"Don't you ever give it a rest? I don't need you narrating my life!" Ah, forget it. Why is Hannes so comfortable anyway? He should be getting ready in case of an emergency, and being battle ready. Just like the Survey Corps."

"He's with the Garrison." She simply responded.

"Forget it." He growled. "Let's just finish."

Despite Eren's annoyance with his adopted sister, he never stayed annoyed at her long

, only giving justice equivalent to her nags. Aside from condescending his ways, she was nice to have around.

The cargo Mikasa had been carrying fell limp from her arms, crashing to the ground. Eren's ears jumped, and he saw the horrified look on her face.

Her head, along with everyone behind him gazed in horror at the top of wall Maria. A crimson, flesh stripped head was glaring over the confines of the peak of Maria. Steam erupted from its nostrils, and its piercing gaze seemed to target everything and everyone inside. Frantic shouts and cries emerged in Shiganshina. The Titan roared, and thunderous pounds began hammering the structure,

Mikasa, still frozen, was trapped in fear. Eren's shouts were mute, the other citizens shouts were mute. Everything was mute. Silence. The titan continued battering the wall, her hand was shook by Eren, but she felt nothing. She was moving now. She was holding Eren's hand. Were they going to die? Why were they running?

"Come on, snap out of it, we need to go!" Eren squeezed her arm, and light returned to her eyes. "I said run with me, damn it!"

Boulders crashed into homes and shops around them, and colliding with citizens fleeing. People were still yelling, Mikasa could hear her mother's screams amongst the crowds of women, the same way she had been butchered when she was a little girl. Why was she in her head now? Why now?

"We're almost there, just a bit further!" Eren wheeled around the corner, Mikasa still linked to him.

His home was partially destroyed, the front door still intact. He barreled inside, and found his mother hiding under the counter.

Another boom shook the house, and the madness outside escalated. Various other pounds soon followed. They were coming.

"Eren, come here now! Get your sister and get down!"

His mother snatched him by the shirt and flung him to the floor, and held him.

"We need to go! The titans are inside the wall!." Eren's voice cracked, tears now forming at his eyes.

"Shut up and do as you're told!" She grabbed him more firmly, Mikasa still limp on his other side.

Eren's panic and frustration combined as he began to sob. Before he could wallow in grief, a sinister ripping and tearing sound punctured his ears. The sun beamed in his eyes, as a smiling face tossed the roof of his home to the side. The titan gazed at his meal, smile unwavering.

Eren now froze, he was doomed. The shrill cry of his mother broke him, no longer of any use. Mikasa, also frozen.

A figure zipped behind the haunting creature, and sliced its neck with one clean swipe. It roared and, whined, reaching for the human on his 3 Dimensional Maneuver Gear.

A spark lit within Eren. There was a hero. They could survive. It wasn't over yet.

The man landed, as the titan howled in pain.

"I told you not to drop that cargo, Eren. Good work. Now let me do the rest, yeah?" Hannes drew fresh blades, and looked into the boys stagnant eyes. "Protect your family boy!" He drew his blades once more, and vanished into the sky, to finish what he started.

Eren grabbed his mother as well as Mikasa, and violently forced them to their feet, and mushed them to the door.

"Don't say a word, and just run! Just go!" Carla gained confidence, and held her children as they retreated towards wall Rose. Cannons, screams, and thumps burdened their ears for hours, as Eren forced them to run, onward for more than an hour. The forces of humanity held the first wave of titans barely, but as they seeped in through the hole in the wall, they were gradually routed. Wall Maria was lost. The titans advanced, in attempts to expose Shinganshino's gate into the human's lands. Troops that had never seen an inch of combat deserted, the few that remained were overwhelmed, and eaten. Civilians ignorant to the incoming slaughter were abandoned, the elderly too slow to run, families hiding were uprooted, chaos was born.

The ferry evacuating citizens mushed people on-board, more trying to fit inside. Eren and Mikasa were pushed on-board, finally feeling relief. Hell was here, but not today. They would be safe behind wall Rose. The gates shut, and the vessel departed land.

"Eren, be safe. I have to make sure the Arlerts made it out." Carla assured her son, as he felt the arm on his shoulder vanish.

He turned around, in horror, to see that his mother had remained on the dock, smiling. Before he could yell to protest the boat was already ten feet away, and gaining fast.

"Mother!" As he yelled, the gate lying between Shiganshina and the rest of humanities lands was blown open, by another massively armored titan. Eren's final sight of his mother was her vanishing back into the crowd of fear.

A few hours of sailing had gone by, and the chatter and panic had ceased to a very somber whisper amongst the boat. Mikasa hadn't let go of Eren's hand, and finally made her first gesture.

A small sniffle escaped her nose, making Eren jump. His puffy and swollen eyes looked over to see that she had finally started crying, as shock morphed into grief. He could only watch as she slowly broke down, her cries escalating.

He grabbed her scarf, and wrapped it more securely around her, muffling the sounds she was making. She briefly glanced at him, where she was met with the young boy's hug in embrace. He had nothing to say to her, or anyone. Some things are best left unsaid.


	3. Chapter 3

"Again, Armin!" Eren roared, putting his fists up.

Armin flailed, missing Eren, and punching a concrete wall. He yelped in pain.

"What are you doing? You think that kind of strength is going to bring them back? Be serious Armin!"

The blond flailed once more, this time, his teeth flaring.

Eren dodged, and gave him a firm jab in the chest, causing him to wheeze.

"So our families died for nothing? Hm? This is what they get?"

Armin grabbed Eren's arm while recovering, and pulled him with a newfound force, causing Eren's own weight to serve as the energy to Armin's impending punch to his gut. Armin let out another breath of exertion, pummeling Eren once more, who fell to the floor.

The boys sat in silence, panting and resting.

"Good punch." He breathed a few times. "Very good punch." Eren winced, and continued his breaths.

"You okay?" Armin sighed, taking one final breath, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

Eren cleared his throat, with a few more exhales. "Yeah, we'll call it quits for today. We're getting stronger, I can tell."

Armin nodded, trading his jug of water over to Eren for a few big gulps.

It had been a few months since the attack on Wall Maria. There had been no sighting of Eren's mother, Armin, his parents, and his grandfather were aboard the very next vessel, which brought joy to him and Mikasa. Humanity was in turmoil, food becoming more scarce day by day. The lands within Wall Rose and Wall Sina were limited in such resources, but plentiful in raw materials. Due to this, the government's plan to retake wall Maria was stirring, along with the dilemmas that followed.

Armin stayed with his family, sharing two beds amongst four people, in a shelter for victims. Eren and Mikasa were now orphans, with no set custody. Hannes had survived, and offered himself to watch over them. In grief, Eren politely declined his official offer, but agreed to let him watch over them from the side. He and Mikasa had to take care of themselves.

"I'm going to go get my family's daily rations. See you around, Eren. Oh, sorry again about the punch, I hope it doesn't hurt."

"Yeah, take it easy Armin." Eren waved him off, and creaked open the wooden door to his makeshift home, consisting of a living room, with a few essentials, and a bedroom.

Mikasa was reading, and didn't notice him right away. He sighed in exhaustion and stretched out in the bedroom. He had been thinking of petals on flowers, as well as why milk came from cows when he was awoken from his dream by Mikasa.

"Eren?" She nudged his shoulder.

"Hm." He moaned, still half asleep.

"What were you and Armin doing all day?"

"We were just training some more. you?" He rubbed his eyes, and turned to face her.

"I was researching-." She gasped, and ran to the living room.

He blinked a few times. Then once more.

"Wut?"Mika? What's wrong?" He grumbled, and forced himself to sit up.

She rushed back in the room, with a wet rag.

"What happened to your face! Was it those Shigan boys again? Did they beat you up?" She began toweling under his eye, returning the sting from earlier. He winced.

"Ah, damn!" He winced once more, and let her continue. "Yeah, was just working with Armin. It was no big deal. I got him to finally throw a punch."

She sighed, and gave him the usual spiel about being more careful.

"It's fine, you know. You would have been so proud of him! It was a hell of a punch." He grinned.

She returned no such grin.

"You promise you didn't get bullied? I don't buy it." Her dark eyes challenged him.

"Wh..What? No. Wait, yes I promise, of course it was Armin, I just didn't expect you to ask that, is all."

She leaned in closer, giving him an annoyed look.

"Promise?" She scared him a little bit.

"Yes, gosh." The boy's hairs on his neck bristled, he would not want to piss her off. _Ever._

"Very well." She kept her face just as close, giving him a ponderous look. "Does it still hurt?" She asked, making sure to scrub the right parts of his face.

"Yeah, a little bit. But you can stop, seriously." He patted her arm.

She gave a dry kiss on his cheek, and returned that curious look. They both knew that it was what their mother did when they had an injury.

"Better?"

"Yes, yes! I'm fine!" He shot out of the bed, head as hot as ever, and bolted into the living room. "So uh, uh, what were you reading anyway?"

Unphased by his behavior, she grabbed it, and presented it to him.

"I was doing research."

"That sounds really boring." He shooed the book away without a second thought.

"I think you'd like it. Really." He perked an eyebrow, and his eyes slid to the side glancing at her.

He took it, and read the front.

 _Understanding the Titan: Basics, field research and writing done by Hange Zo_ _ë._

"Woah, where did you get this?!" He flipped through the pages, seeing sketches and diagrams of the titan anatomy.

Mikasa snatched it back, earning a frustrated glance immediately.

"No more punch training."

"Mikasa-"

"No more punch training!" She stamped her foot. He could see the concern in her eyes.

He growled, and felt like obliging. "So how am I supposed to prepare myself then? And Armin? We have to train."

"So train efficiently, and use this." She tapped the book. "Armin can help you with it."

She had a point.

"Alright, alright. Gosh. No more punch training." He mumbled.

The book was given to him.

She didn't say anything about kick training, now did she? As the thought crossed his mind, he remembered how he would never want to piss her off earlier, and discarded the idea of kick training.

"When they train cadets, you know the top ten are allowed to join the Military Police, right?" Mikasa gave another one of her concerned gazes.

"Yeah, it's optional to them though. When I turn 16, you can bet I'll be first in line to be a cadet. Anyone can join the survey corps, if you pass."

"Don't you think you should try to be the best of the best, and just join the military police?" She mentally pleaded. "They can also live safely within the innermost walls, away from danger. I-I could help you, even"

"My mind is made, Mikasa. I won't stop trying until I'm fighting on the front lines. You know that."

She did, and that was what was haunting her.


	4. Chapter 4

Brief time had passed, but the situation of hunger was worsening. Robbing, plundering, and thievery was spreading amongst the shelters, luckily not including the children's ward. Voices on megaphones woke the populace, in the distance. Eren awoke from yet another slumber, to discover what all the racket was.

"All men above the age of 16, please proceed along the following path." A garrison Corps member announced, many civilians following his instructions. People were coming out of shacks, homes, and houses to listen to his direction, all of them men.

"Humanity will retake Wall Maria, with the sweat of every man's brow." He repeated his two lines a few times. "...Volunteers are accepted, and welcomed! Join the fight today!"

Eren gazed in awe, this was his chance to join the fight early. Plenty of people funneled in, maybe hundreds. There was no way humanity would fail, not if everyone worked together.

"Not yet, young Jäger." Mr. Arlert put a hand on his shoulder. "Could you do me a favor, and go talk to Armin? He should be somewhere in the shelters." He gave a warm smile, as well as his wife and father behind him.

"Why?" What about what's going on here?" Eren looked back at the line of people, everyone looked so tired.

"Just consider it as a favor for the Arlert family. Please, Eren." The grip on his shoulder went away, as Armin's parents and grandfather joined the line. Eren gave one final look, and jogged back. The megaphone grew quieter and quieter until it was just a tickle to his ear.

Upon reaching Armin's place, it had been moved into by a different set of survivors. When Eren had asked for Armin, they didn't know anything.

Eren checked back where they had trained, nothing. Everywhere he looked, there was nothing.

Now annoyed, Eren decided to go back to line, and ask for help from his parents once more, except they were gone. Much fewer people were in the area, the megaphone now silent.

"Oi, Eren!" A cloaked Armin tugged at Eren's sleeve.

"There you are, I was looking for you! Why are you acting so mysterious?" Eren eyed his hooded attire, head to toe.

"We're going to sneak in the line, and find out where my parents are going. They said something about doing humanity's duty. Maybe we can help, you know? His eyes were filled with hope.

"You know me, yeah. Anything to get closer to our goal."

The boys, obviously shorter than the few participants heading towards the training camps, were quickly spotted.

"Jacob, forget the kids. I'll handle them." An all too familiar voice called.

Eren's ears perked. "Hannes! We need your help!" He gazed up at the man with his bright green stare.

"I'm sorry Eren, but you and your friend need to leave. I said I would protect you." He placed hands on their backs, and led them away.

"Wait, what? Why! We need to get in, not out!" Eren dug his heels into the dirt.

"Enough Eren. This mission will involve combat, and attempting to retake wall Maria. It's too dangerous."

"Combat? My parents? Why?!" Armin yelled, grabbing at Hannes' hands.

How could he explain it to children? Humanity as a whole couldn't feed this many new mouths with the loss of the farm lands. This "expenditure" to retake Wall Maria was known to be merely thinning the pack. How could a child understand a utilitarian process? It was impossible, he would need a better way.

Hannes knelt down, to both of them.

"We need your help too, boys. We need to make sure you have the time to train up, and save humanity too!

"Train? How?" Armin asked.

"Eren knows all about it, becoming a cadet."

He nodded.

"Eren?" Armin gave him a frightened look.

"Look, we don't have time to explain this here. Eren, explain to Armin how you both can contribute, and what goals you need to have until then. Got it?"

"Yes sir."

With some more light protest, Eren led Armin away. Hannes was shaking. He just took that blond boy's family, and the would most likely be dead within a week. The world was cruel. Far too cruel.

After a few more days, disturbing rumors began to surface about the real intent behind the mission, but thankfully Eren and company were not mature enough to understand what had really happened. Their ignorance was bliss.

Eren continued his reading, learning of the titan's weak spot, at the back of its neck, as well as other facts. Generally titan's have high body temperatures, regeneration of lost limbs, as well as other nuances to mankind. Every night, he continued reading section after section.

Eren flipped to the next page.

'Titans generally are attracted to the largest amount of people, or commotion. This can be used tactically by setting up diversions, while a smaller team eliminates them by using the previous discussed weakness. A titan's movement is-'

"Eren, are you busy?" Mikasa's head poked into the door.

"Just reading, what's up?"

"It happened again."

He responded with just a nod, and she climbed up next to him. Ever since he had known her, she would get random nightmares and things of that order due to her attempted kidnapping. It didn't really bother him, that she needed someone close by to sleep, but it could cost him some sleep sometimes.

She continued rummaging around, as he read. He returned to focus.

'Titans generally are attracted to the largest amount of people, or commotion. This can be used tactically by setting up diversions-'

"Are you going to sleep soon too?" She asked.

"Maybe, I'm going to finish this first. He started at the first line again.

'Titans generally are attracted to the largest amount of people, or commotion. This can be used tactically by setting up diversions, while a smaller team eliminates them by using the previous discussed-'

"Thank you, by the way." She mumbled, yawning.

"Mhm." He felt a pang of annoyance.

'Titans generally are attracted to the largest amount of people, or commotion. This can be used tactically by setting up diversions, while a smaller team eliminates them by using the previous discussed weakness. A titan's movement is crucial to identifying exactly what _type_ of titan it is, being a passive or aggressive titan. Generally, all titans are aggressive, passive ones meaning they have not located or detected a human yet. When dealing with aggressive tians, you should-'

Her head bumped into his, causing a quick dose of anger to rise, quickly diffused when he realized her head leaning on him was completely unconscious, she was worn out.

Eren sighed, closed the book, and gave up. He wouldn't wake her. He closed his eyes himself, and let himself rest.

"Attracted to large amounts of people. Hm." He thought, before drifting off.


	5. Chapter 5

Eren's grief at the loss of his mother slowly morphed into the obsession he bore for slaying titans. Night after night researching, planning, resting, all for the cause of exterminating the captors of humanity. Despite the intentions, his self responsibility drastically improved, but in hopes of increasing his odds of success towards revenge, not necessarily maturity. This blooming hatred was known of by his step sister, but the reality of the depth of the hatred's roots were still hidden within Eren. A monster not yet awoken.

The plan to retake the wall was an obvious failure, more as a means of removing extra mouths to feed, but also taking a stab in the darkness. Along with Eren, Armin too, possessed an anger within him. He had always been the boy who was a victim, and cried, but a core of fury within his heart was instilled, and not even towards just the titans. His family were pawns, and were pawns only because of the titans. he had felt like the world was against them, being Eren Mikasa and himself.

Lastly, of the three, Mikasa was still only but an island to the both of them. She was always there, and always seemed to drift towards Eren, but forever separate. Her true needs and plans for the future were swept under due to her willingness to follow and protect Eren anywhere. She also surrendered to Eren's ideals and motivation a bit more, supporting him.

With these forms of growth, the next 3 years for the soon-to-be-cadets quickly washed away, as the next chapter of their life would begin. Now older, at 17, the effects of the tragedy was now much more clear in their eyes, as witnesses of the Shinganshina incident. Eren, most of all.

Eren and Armin's physique had grown substantially, due to their vigorous attempts to prepare for the future. Weekly, they exercised, and practiced cadet drills after spying on the current ones in Trost. Armin's personality was not known to many, as he and Eren often attracted many other females their age. Once a few got to know how submissive Armin was, he lost a little notoriety. He had also switched from a highly abbreviated bowl cut to a more thinned out layered haircut, Despite his 'weak' personality, his sense for logic and cunning were unparalleled. He was often seen as the better half of Eren.

Eren, probably going through the least transformation, looked the same as he did from when he was a child, with simple and more manly upgrades. The least different, were his eyes, still burning with a flaming verdant green. His height had surged since he was small, now taller than his best friend and step sister substantially. Often seen as serious, and nearly always accompanied by his now alluring step-sister, he was seen as hard to get, driving up his name. Assuming others actually got to know Eren at this point, they were either totally for or against his hatred for the titans, with little middle ground.

Despite Eren and Armin's improvements, Mikasa still outshone both of them in physical prowess. She was faster, and nearly as strong as them. Her ability to use speed made her movements just as impactful as a males', and generally more efficient. Her motivations were still following in Eren's footsteps, as she doesn't necessarily recognize that she is superior. She will still often act as somewhat of his caretaker, giving him protective advice, or literally defending him. Her looks mismatch her strength, as she is often portrayed as an inner-wall pretty girl that lacked confidence. In reality, she only spoke when it was needed, and wouldn't repeat herself.

It was their first day training as cadets.

"Springer!" The Sergeant boomed.

"Here!" Connie Springer, the respectfully average cadet with a buzzcut replied.

"Blouse!"

"Here!" The brunette squeaked, hiding the potato she stole behind her back.

"Kirstein!"

"Yeah, I'm here." Jean Kirstein, the first to say whatever was on his mind. "You mind if we do this inside, It's hot as hell out here."

Keith, the Sergeant, paused in front of the cadet.

"Why the hell are you here, then?"

"I want to join the Military Police, and live inside the safest walls." He answered honestly.

Keith growled, and spit at Jean's feet.

"Jäger!"

"Here." Eren's gaze and salute hadn't budged, giving Keith interest.

"Why are you here, cadet?"

Mikasa gulped. Her eyes peeked from behind her bangs.

"I want to kill titans, every last one of them." Eren confirmed, making no eye contact.

Keith grunted.

"Ah, I should just ship you off to Levi right now, shouldn't I? Very well. Hoover!"

Eren's ears twitched upon hearing Levi, Eren knew him from researching the Survey Corps, he was their ruthless leader. Apparently, he was the best at slaying titans.

As Keith rattled off more names, Eren began thinking of the various drills he would be exposed to, being 3. Hand to hand combat, 3 Dimensional Maneuver Gear training, and direct lessons from members on how titan's function and work. Of the three, he was only familiar with the hand to hand.

The cadets held their stance for a couple more hours, as every name was called, and Keith delivered a long drawn out speech that Eren had heard a few times before. When Armin and him had spied on previous cadets, they got the idea.

Later in the evening, Eren had invited some old acquaintances to share a table with him. If Eren's memory served him correctly, Bertolt Hoover and Reiner Braun were also in the 104th cadets. They had been the ones who picked him up a few years prior.

"Heard what happened in Shiganshina the day after we traveled through there. I'm glad you made it out okay." Bertold added, munching on his stew.

"You too, glad you weren't there when it happened. Both of you."

Reiner nodded.

"Also, Eren. who was that guy Keith was talking about? Levi?"

Eren put his spoon down, and began using his hands to talk, showing his interest.

"He's one of the main badasses in the Survey Corps, and leads missions to kill those titan bastards. They say he's a giant, standing over 6 feet tall, a pure killing machine.

"Wow, that's intimidating." Reiner's eyebrow cocked.

"I've heard of him, I've also heard that he's actually really short! Only rumors, of course." Bertolt chuckled.

They resumed eating, scanning the other cadets in the room.

"See that girl over there?" Reiner chewed, downing another bite before continuing. "The blonde one?" He pointed.

"The cute one?" Eren asked.

"The one next to her."

"Yeah, what about her?" Eren shoveled another helping of soup into his bowl.

"That's Annie, our friend we talked about the day we met."

"Oh cool, I'll have to introduce myself."

Reiner and Bertolt met eyes.

"Careful bud, she's not the social type." Reiner sniggered.

"Understood." Thanks for the heads up.

Mikasa walked over, and rest a hand on Eren's shoulder.

"Walk with me? This place is a little too hot and noisy."

"Sure, sec." Eren finished his meal, shaking his friends' hands, and walked out with her.

"What do you think so far? Being a cadet?" He asked, just loud enough to drown out the sound of the gravel crunching beneath their feet, and the bugs singing their songs in the night.

"It's alright, I suppose. A little overwhelming." She knew she would be fine, but feared change.

"Well, we start hand to hand tomorrow, that should be fine. Nothing new there."

"Hopefully I get put against you, so I would win for sure."

"Whatever." He rolled his eyes, knowing she was right. "And the day after, you ready to try out that zip line gear?"

"Three-dimensional maneuver gear." She corrected.

"Yes, that. That's the most foreign to me, I personally can't wait. Once we learn how to use it, we could technically be ready to fight titans."

Mikasa grew nervous again, and sought to change the subject. Fighting titans, the concept, made her weary.

"Do you think I should cut my hair before we use our new gear?"

Confused, and surprised by the random question, he realized he was being silent.

"I don't know, probably won't matter much."

"Is that a yes or a no?"

"Uh, no I suppose? Keep it."

"Fair enough. I wonder if it will be a problem when we are in the air." She began fiddling with the strands between her fingers.

"Nah, you're good. Plus it looks nice."

Despite his answer being strictly brotherly honesty, she took his compliment as a silent victory.

"Anyway, my new friends are pretty cool…" He began to explain to her the characteristics of a few cadets, and talked for several minutes. As she walked, she began to realize how much more precious these few minutes walking were, talking about random things, than all of the hype and work towards combat and fighting titans. Mikasa wished that their walk would never end.


	6. Chapter 6

A few more months had gone by, hardening the cadets' resolve, but seemingly not having an affect on Eren. He was becoming stronger, physically, but his drive was still unwavering. He had grown increasingly cold to others, only speaking to them when he needed something, or if it pertained to mastering a new technique at killing titans. Their district was a little less chaotic now, people resuming to a somewhat routined life now that the attack was a few years ago.

"On your feet." Annie threatened.

Eren quickly rose, trying to land a quick jab on her left, but was swiftly punched in the ribs, and thrown to the side again.

Mikasa watched, angry.

"Fuckin' hell, Annie." Eren spit.

She came at him again, continuing their spar. "You have to block, Eren!"

Rather than block, he went for another punch while she was already on top of him. She pushed his face in the dirt, and bent his arm sideways into a pin. She pulled it hard.

"... Alright! I tap." Eren growled, in pain.

After a few more seconds, Annie rose again.

"You're all talk, you know that?" She dusted herself off, and began to walk away.

"Turn back around, immediately." Eren was glaring at her, standing up with fresh bruises. Her martial arts skills were incredible, she was the only cadet he couldn't beat.

She complied, raising her fists.

Eren took a deep breath, and prepared himself. He began their scuf, and payed close attention to her moves, dodging when he could, parrying. After a good twenty seconds, she finally got through his defenses, and knocked him to his back once more.

The blonde stood triumphantly over him, now with her own glare.

"I told you, its-"

Eren swept his feet in a cheap shot kick, knocking her off balance, and quickly regained his footing. He was on her in an instant, completely restricting her movement.

"How about that?" He smiled.

She taped, and stood up without a word. She gave him a frustrated glance.

"That was just a fluke, your actual fighting skills are still inferior. You shouldn't rely on tricks to win your battles, Eren.

"Indeed, but you shouldn't let your guard down, and don't assume you calculate all the variables. It may be your downfall."

She rolled her eyes, and walked away.

Mikasa unclenched her fists.

The rest of the cadets continued training, as Eren looked around, tired.

"Hey, you're the emotional one I've heard about right?" A short man approached Eren, with a blank stare.

Eren raised an eyebrow, but noticed the green Scout Regiment Cloak on the man approaching him.

"Huh? You're a scout.." Eren looked around, making sure he was the one he was speaking to.

"Yes, and you're Eren, right?" The man blinked once.

"Y-Yeah." He gave his salute, forgetting his manners.

"Fuck the salute, come this way." Levi turned around, assuming he would follow.

Eren staggered in place, looking to Mikasa. Her eyes were full of worry, trying to ask him what was going on through her eyes. He smiled to her, and followed after Levi. She gulped, forever worried about him and his desire to join that doomed group of soldiers.

Eren followed a few paces behind the man, looking at the emblem on the back of his cloak. After a few moments, he didn't feel like looking like a pet anymore, so he stood side by side with Levi as they walked, causing him to earn what seemed like a cautious glare.

"How are you with 3DMG?" Levi asked, still not introducing himself.

"We started a few weeks ago, pretty good at it already."

Levi gave him another nasty look. "I doubt it, but we're going to put you on a different set."

"Try me." Eren immediately responded.

After a bit more walking, they reached the training area for the maneuver gear, where people try them on. Levi stopped, and stretched out his hand.

"Hand your gear over."

Eren took off the straps, and unhooked all the parts handing it over.

Levi walked over to a bench, and began bending away at the metal, breaking some parts of the gear, causing it to look a little lopsided. After a few moments, he handed it back.

"Use it like this for the rest of your training." Levi pulled out a few documents, and sifted through them as Eren inspected his new gear.

"Sir… You broke it." Eren looked at all the parts, it'd be very dangerous to use something like this.

"Yeah, I did. From the reports I've heard of our cadets though, you're both fast and strong enough to use it that way. Try it." Found Eren in his files, re evaluating his numbers. "Almost Ackerman too, but not quite."

Eren struggled to get the gear on, but noticed that the wires were much looser, allowing him to move side to side a bit more. It also felt… different. Without the Scout's permission, Eren latched onto the tree nearby, firing his new gear, and soared into the sky. He felt around a bit while soaring, noticing the different 'feel' of the device. The angles of ascension and declination were much less steep, giving him more of a swinging effect when flying. His stomach churned as his weight shifted, but he could feel the change in pressure result in potential for stronger attacks.

Levi watched him from the ground, admiring his independence, and respecting it. His carefree glance became a little more shocked as he watched Eren fly towards a target dummy.

Eren got an idea, and flew towards one of the dummies below. He triggered his gas canisters to the side, causing him to start spinning rapidly, and fired his hooks again at the last second before shredding the target to pieces with the new physical prowess of the gear. He fell a dozen or so feet to the ground, breaking one of his ankles immediately on impact. He let out a yelp, but quickly silenced himself.

Levi zipped over, looking down at him. "You're as reckless as ever, I wasn't expecting this. Are you alright?" He knelt down, looking at his foot. He motioned a few people in the distance to get a doctor, as they saw what happened.

"Son of a bitch…" Eren grit his teeth in pain, but started giving controlled breaths. He breathed heavily, parting his speech. "Y-Yeah." He winced. " I lost control- Fuck! Control at the end." He kept breathing, closing his eyes from the pain.

"You're not very careful are you?" Levi scratched his head, a little exasperated.

"No, fuck that." Eren laughed, giving a painful cough.

Levi looked down at the young man. Despite his error, hurting himself, his strike was almost as clean as his own… The reports from Keith were correct, this Eren Jaeger was a natural titan killing machine.

"I'm one of the officer's in the Scout Regiment, Levi Ackerman. I had initially planned to individually examine some of our more talented recruits… But.." Levi looked down at Eren, now receiving medical attention.

Eren looked up in shock, he didn't realize his idol was the one training him.

"L-Levi? It's an honor sir." Eren felt his mouth droop open.

"Cut the formalities, I don't do that shit." Levi pointed to his gear on the waist. "I want you to keep practicing with that." He turned away, the green glistening in the sunlight. "That move you did…. It was exceptional." With that, he walked off, hiding his smile.

"T-Thank you sir- Thank you Levi! I'll work on it." Eren winced again, the medical unit telling him to hush up.

Eren was helped home early, after receiving proper medical attention. He was instructed to not do any further physical activity until further notice, and was left on his couch wincing in pain every few minutes, It wasn't as bad as they first thought, but he'd be out of commission for a while. He was angry, but also happy at the same time. He wanted to practice his new gear, but would only make it take longer if he did not rest his foot. He read the first line and then slowly drifted off to sleep, exhausted.

"...en? ...en?" He woke up, briefly. "Eren?" He heard Mikasa's soft voice, as he opened his eyes. He looked over and saw her pulled up right next to him on the sofa.

She was holding one of his hands in both of hers, he hazily realized. He didn't jerk it away right away as he usually would.

"Hey…" He blinked a few times. Slowly, the pain in his ankle re emerged, causing him to sigh.

"What happened to you? A-Are you okay?" She looked down at his foot, and back to him with worry.

"I-I" He coughed. "I got to train with Captain Levi, but I made an error and fell. It was great though, I got to try this new gear…" He pointed to it.

Mikasa let go of his hand, and went to examine it.

"...It's broken, did you ruin it in the fall?" She looked over.

"No, Levi broke a few of the parts on purpose, it makes it work differently." He grunted as he reached over for his book.

"..." She set the tools down, and walked back over with Carla's posture. "First you want to be in the Scout Regiment, and now purposefully using broken tools? What's gotten into you?" Her concern looked almost angry.

"Holy shit, every day with you, always nagging about my decisions. Just let it be yeah?" He felt heat in his face, as well as a a few flaring aches in his foot.

"..." She looked down.

"Besides, you'd better start focusing more on yourself, you're always trying to boss me around. Hell, a week ago, for the first time I brought you down in hand to hand combat. I don't need to be babied anymore." He sighed, wincing from the pain in his foot. It was pissing him off.

Mikasa looked like she was about to punch him, but instead she felt her lips quiver a bit, as she looked down at his injury again. She quietly walked to their bedroom, trying to hide her tears. She quietly cried out of sight and range for him to hear.

Eren continued to lay sprawled out, relaxing. As the minutes went by, his body slowly stopped tensing up, and cooled down from the argument. He let out a few deep breaths, and started to think about what he had said to her. He felt bad, a little bit, but she was really overbearing.

He heard a brief sniffle, from the room, and quickly dismissed this thoughts of frustration with her.

"Mikasa." He sighed. "Come here."

She wasn't stubborn or petty, even though he was the reason she was crying. She knew better than to ignore his requests, especially if he tried to come to her in his condition. She quietly re-entered the room, trying to hide the fact she was crying.

"I'm sorry I snapped at you. You were just worried." Eren tried to not sound like an ass, and waited for her response.

She just nodded, rubbing her nose.

"C'mere." He outstretched his arms a bit signaling for a hug, to which she quickly obliged.

To his surprise, rather than a hug, the quickly slithered onto the couch, carefully avoiding his leg and rested her head in the crook of his neck, holding him.

"Hey now, it wasn't that bad, was it?" He looked down at the top of her head, petting it slowly.

She ignored his question, and gave a muffled response: "If you join the scouts, I will too."

Wanted to protest, but he'd sound like a hypocritical prick. He just remained silent, and resumed petting her. When they were younger, and she was new to their family, it wasn't rare for him to have to comfort her, but lately her physical needs for comfort had been increasing. It filled him with a lot of emotions, as his brain twisted and turned for the right course of action. He was confused, but proceeded.

"We'll work together." He finally mustered to say, not pausing his hand.

His mind kept dancing thoughts around debating if she was still mad at him or not, and how he'd get her to accept his choice. It was saddening that the only middle ground they could find is her joining as well, that'd make him worry too. When thinking about it like that, he could sort of see her point of view, but still… He'd wait for her next response.

She let out a few more sniffles, but he waited. After a few minutes, he asked: "Is that alright, Mikasa?"

"..."

Eren, now worried, continued to brush her hair, upset that she was still so deluded regarding the situation. He paused his hand, upon feeling her arms shift around him a bit, as she turned her head to the side, eyes closed. She was fast asleep, using him as a body pillow. He opened his mouth to wake her, but something stopped him. He just shut his mouth, and let himself relax, feeling a wave of comfort and relaxation course through his body as he closed his own eyes.


End file.
